Training Industry Magazine - Summer 2022 - 57

than just complaining about how you
miss doing it the previous way. When
moving from on-site to virtual, for
example, saying you love the energy
of a whiteboard session but are
excited to try a new online version is
a way to acknowledge disruption of
the norm but not being bogged down
by it.
As a trainer, help those who are resistant
to different training delivery see
possibilities and benefits.
Deepen Emotional
Intelligence Skills
In 2020, when many office jobs suddenly
shifted into home spaces across the
country, decades-old, rigid office social
protocols were disrupted. Work meetings
(and some live news broadcasts) had
kids walking into them, dogs barking in
the background, cats walking in front of
screens and roommates talking loudly
on the phone nearby. How you reacted
to the disruption of meeting settings
and meeting environment is a wealth of
lessons learned for growing emotional
intelligence skills.
To
turn
disruption
of
meeting
environment into an emotional
intelligence skill opportunity:
* Model a productive and adaptable
mindset when disruption occurs.
For example, do not spend the
first 15 minutes of your virtual class
talking about how you'd rather be in
the office training room. Be present
in the learning environment you are
using in that moment. That will help
your students focus on what they
are learning instead of wishing it
was different.
* Address recurring issues in a
confidential and respectful manner.
Do not call someone out in front of
the other team members regarding
distractions due to home settings.
Outside of the classroom or meeting,
connect with that team member to
address
concerns
and
hopefully
learn more about the cause of the
disruption so that together you can
find solutions for productivity. This
approach demonstrates compassion
and grace.
* Continue to emphasize team culture
even if you do it in new ways. Disrupt
With the return to
the office, do not
lose the adaptable
mindset needed to
navigate disruption.
traditional
office
culture
norms
(pizza lunch, break room chat) to
incorporate deliberate means to build
connections. You may be able to
connect with more people because
you are being deliberate in what you
want to achieve rather than leaving it
to chance (or your extroverts).
The forced shift from strict office
environment to work-at-home has the
benefit of fostering more acceptance
of disruption. With the return to office
environments, do not lose the adaptable
mindset or emotional intelligence
needed to navigate disruption.
Lead By Example:
How Learning Leaders Can Manage Disruption
Disruption can be a means to deepen existing skills through
on-the-job application, such as emotional intelligence,
problem-solving, creative thinking and team building. As
a learning professional or workforce consultant, know
that you set the tone for how to react to a disruption. Your
willingness to acknowledge the disruption and your feelings
about it signals to others that they are not alone. At the
same time, your ability to move from acknowledgment of
the disruption to solution-finding signals to others how to
see potential and opportunity.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2022 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
Disruption: Make Friends
Not Foes
With these examples and tips, you
can better recognize in yourself how
to see disruption as an opportunity
and thus empower others to do so.
As that Charles Swindoll saying goes,
" Life is 10% what happens to you and
90% how you react to it. " Being able to
adapt to change increases the positive
impact the learning professional has
on the organization.
As manager of business operations and
strategic communications within Blue
Cross NC's Strategy and Diversified
Business Group, Megan R. Bell, MPM,
PMP, leverages creative thinking to
foster team culture, establish sustainable
processes and realize divisional goals.
Email Megan.
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